Final Fantasy XV Release Window Set for 2016, According to Game Director

August 6, 2015
Written by Jason Dunning

While he didn’t outright say Final Fantasy XV is coming in 2016, Game Director Hajime Tabata basically confirmed the game is releasing next year.

Asked by GameSpot when Square Enix plans to announce the release date, Tabata replied, “At the very least, I can tell you that it isn’t going to be released this year.” So, if it’s not coming in 2015, when can we expect Final Fantasy XV? Tabata said, “We can certainly say to people: it’s not going to be 2017. It’s going to be before that.”

He added that more details surrounding the launch should be unveiled around PAX Prime at the very end of this month.

With Final Fantasy XV/Versus XIII having been in development for so long, Tabata and Square Enix sense that people are feeling a bit worried about the game’s status. To reassure fans, he said, “[…] We’ve set down the release date, we know when it is, and we’ve got a complete road map lined up, right up to launch, and we’re proceeding along that as planned.”

When Game Informer contacted Square Enix and Tabata to confirm the 2016 release window after the GameSpot interview, Tabata said it wouldn’t be out in 2015 and he’d be disappointed if it slipped to 2017. Square Enix, meanwhile, wouldn’t confirm anything and said more details are coming soon.